McCONNELL AT HERITAGE TODAY: PLAN B AFTER REPEAL— “On health care, that means we can — and should — propose and vote on straight repeal, repeatedly,” the Senate Republican leader is expected to say. “But we can’t expect the president to sign it. So we’ll also have to work, in the House, on denying funds for implementation, and, in the Senate, on votes against its most egregious provisions. … Over the past week, some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office. But the fact is, if our primary legislative goals are to repeal and replace the health spending bill; to end the bailouts; cut spending; and shrink the size and scope of government, the only way to do all these things it is to put someone in the White House who won’t veto any of these things.”

WEDNESDAY REACT TO THE MIDTERMS:

BOEHNER: REPEAL— “I believe that the health care bill that was enacted by the current Congress will kill jobs in America, ruin the best health care system in the world, and bankrupt our country. That means we have to do everything we can to try to repeal this bill and replace it with common sense reforms to bring down the cost of health care.”

OBAMA: I DON’T REGRET REFORM—“[W]hen I talk to a woman from New Hampshire who doesn’t have to mortgage her house because she got cancer and is seeking treatment but now is able to get health insurance, when I talk to parents who are relieved that their child with a preexisting condition can now stay on their policy until they’re 26 years old and give them time to transition to find a job that will give them health insurance, or the small businesses that are now taking advantage of the tax credits that are provided – then I say to myself, this was the right thing to do.”

PELOSI: HEALTH CARE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE— “I don't – think they're going to take health care apart,” she told ABC’s Diane Sawyer. “There are certain parts of it that we all may want to review – one way or another. Put it up there. But the fundamentals of it, you know, when we have our patients' bill of rights about no preexisting conditions, and those provisions, they are – they cannot be there unless you have this basic structure of health care reform. So, when we have this debate piece by piece, I think the American people will see how they like pieces of it, and how they relate to each other. And that some of that – you know, a 1099, it was a Senate provision. We didn't like it in the House.”

Good Thursday morning. Fallout from the midterm elections will continue to drive the health debate this week. We’re going to try to stop shouting at the computer screen when we read headlines questioning whether FULL repeal is going to happen in the next two years. It ain’t happening! Check the Constitution for the number of Senate votes required to override a veto.

“You spin me right round, baby, right round like a Pulse, baby.”

COMPROMISE: WE’VE HEARD THIS BEFORE— Republicans renewed their calls for a repeal of the health care reform law and Democrats signaled that they’re willing to consider modifications and compromises. But Democrats, particularly in the House, said they would compromise before and were willing to repeal the 1099 provision – but attached a poison pill pay-for. The POLITICO story http://politi.co/c032cS

HAPPENING TODAY— Both sides of the multi-state lawsuit against the health reform law have to file their motions for summary judgment by today. … The Hudson Institute hosts a panel on whether the new Congress can repeal the health law.

UNDER THE RADAR: WATCH STATE LEG. GAINS— That Republicans picked a massive 19 state legislature majorities up hasn’t gotten much chatter but it arguably will have a much bigger impact on health reform than much-vaunted GOP House gains. “The question of how much a state will participate is likely to become a very active part of the debate,” Richard Cauchi, health program director for the National Council of State Legislatures, tells PULSE. And while House efforts to repeal reform will die at the president’s veto, state legislatures have the power to stall implementation in a way that worries staunch reform supporters.

With more than 6,100 state legislative seats up for grabs in 46 states, GOP made a net gain of at least 500 seats on Tuesday. That, according to NCSL, gives them more seats than any time since 1928.

HOW WILL THE GOP TALK ABOUT HEALTH?— Once the post-election rhetoric dies down and the House repeal vote passes, Republicans are going to have to decide how they really want to approach health care, says William A. Pierce, senior vice president at APCO worldwide and a former deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at HHS. They could pursue a political, rhetorical attack or “pursue an oversight and legislative strategy that could produce some changes to the legislation that an awful lot of people probably realize need to be made,” he tells PULSE.

Pierce says Republicans may get more traction if they’re seen as addressing the problems in the law instead of just outright opposing it. Though, it may be difficult for the GOP to make that flip after opposing the legislation for so long.

SPIN MASTERS: GOP CALLS REFORM KEY VOTING ISSUE— Republican pollster Bill McInturff out early Wednesday with a memo calling the election “a clear signal that voters do not want President Obama’s health care plan. Evidence: of the 69 percent of voters who have “seen, read or heard a Congressional candidate advertising on health reform,” 70 percent saw ads in opposition to the law (hat tip: Ben Smith) Full memo http://politi.co/c2Heie

--“WERE THEY WATCHING THE SAME ELECTION AS THE REST OF US?” — Health Information Campaign’s Erikka Knuti pushes back. “The voters were pretty clear: 62 percent said economy was their top concern, only 19 percent said health care. If these guys are gunning for health care, when voters clearly want action on the economy, that seems absurd to me.” Bolstering her point: Exit polls find that voters who counted health reform as their top concern split in the Democrats favor, 53 to 45 percent.

--PULSE FACTS OF LIFE— Remember your high school statistics teacher who taught you that correlation does not equal causation? We have two facts—lots of anti-reform advertising and big Republican gains—but little indicating one causing the other.

GATES EYES MILITARY HEALTH COSTS— Looking to push his cost-cutting reforms into new realms, Defense Secretary Robert Gates may set his sights on runaway military health care costs – an area that members of Congress have so far been reluctant to tackle, POLITICO’s Gordon Lubold reports. Opponents are already bracing for a fight.

“We’re very frustrated,” said Steve Strobridge, government relations director at the Military Officers Association of America. Gates has yet to make any formal health care proposals, and it’s unclear if he will. The POLITICO story http://politi.co/d9AGCR

CT SETS ANTHEM HEARING FOR NOV. 17— Outgoing Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Sullivan scheduled Anthem’s hearing on its rate hikes for Nov. 17 – even though he’s scheduled to leave his job Nov. 12. “This hearing is making good on a promise I made last month to hold a public hearing on this rate filing,” he said, according to the Hartford Courant. The Courant blog post http://bit.ly/ciVp4x

HHS ANNOUNCES $1 BILLION IN BIOMED GRANTS— HHS and Treasury on Wednesday announced that nearly 3,000 small biotechnology companies will receive grants totaling $1 billion, with hopes they would help find cost-saving therapies and support jobs and U.S. competitiveness. “We can’t afford to see promising discoveries discarded or innovative businesses move overseas,” Secretary Sebelius said. “Thanks to the funding provided today, firms can avoid these roadblocks and continue to do business right here in the U.S.”

HAYES OFF THE HILL— Top Grassley health aide Mark Hayes notified colleagues Wednesday he’s off to other ventures. From his farewell: “The MMA, DRA, MIPPA, SCHIP, TANF and of course health care reform … specialty hospitals, value based purchasing, physician sunshine, and so many other things have happened. It’s been the best job of a lifetime.” Details on his new position still forthcoming.

LOST IN THE ELECTION: BCBSA RESHUFFLES— Two promotions of longtime staffers on Tuesday: “Kathy Didawick is promoted to vice president, congressional communications, and previously served as executive director. … Justine Handelman is promoted to vice president, legislative and regulatory policy, and previously served as executive director.”

DME CONTRACTS OUT— CMS announced 1,217 contracts with 365 durable medical equipment contracts through the new competitive bidding program, bulldozing past protests from Rep. Pete Stark and the 167 criticizing the design of the bidding process and urging CMS to hold off until further consideration. CMS Deputy Director and Administrator Jonathan Blum told reporters that he’d spoken with some of the bidders who raised concerns and “their primary concern was that bidders won’t sign contracts. Given that 92 percent that were awarded signed, that gives me great confidence.” Full supplier list http://bit.ly/aYfMz7

GEORGIA HAS NO CONFIDENCE IN AMA— The Medical Association of Georgia has voted “no confidence” in the current AMA leadership, a move designed to signal its opposition to the national group’s role in the health debate. The group recognized that the current leadership wasn’t in place when the reform law was passed, but the group said it has “serious reservations about the AMA effectiveness and its ability to represent physicians’ interest,” according to a letter sent to the national group. The letter http://politi.co/bUeU8M

WHAT WE’RE READING:

What would you tell Boehner? Kaiser Health News asks experts across the spectrum what they’d say about health care to soon-to-be Speaker Boehner if they happened to catch him in an elevator. http://bit.ly/9jcv7K

Eli Lilly & Co. CEO John Lechleiter said Wednesday that he expects most of the health law to remain in place despite GOP gains, but he’s going to lobby to repeal IPAB, according to Dow Jones. http://bit.ly/a2QAY8

The WSJ editorial page calls the midterms a “repudiation of President Obama’s health-care agenda.” http://bit.ly/9eoVT5

Rep. James Oberstar, who lost Tuesday, says his health care vote may have stirred “widespread dissention” but he doesn’t regret his support for the law. http://bit.ly/c2N0kv

Reader's Comments (5)

their only goal is to repeal healthcare reform so that their insurance company friends don't have to spend all that money on taking care of the sick, but rather on even more outrageous executive compensation. this is all you need to know about the GOP's priorities. they don't care about joe the plumber or anyone else outside of their exclusive social circles. if they're going to waste time with acts like this, they will be out of the house in a couple of years. WORK TOGETHER ON ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS, leave what has been done alone. as far as investigations, go for it, the democrats will fire up some proceeding of their own on iraq and all the civil liberties that were denied during the bush administration.

forgot to mention that they have no problem sending our young men to war, but now want to defund some veteran's health benefits? what planet are the republicans from? the audacity to send young men to get their arms blown off only to have them come home to reduced medical services. now that's progress, what a joke.

If we want job growth we have to REPEAL or DEFUND Obamacare. An insurance company has to answer to its shareholders, the government via Obamacare answers to no one but bureaucrats in DC. I don't need free birth control or breast pumps, should I be required to pay for that coverage just because Sebellius and Pelosi say so? NO way... REPEAL or DEFUND Obamacare to get back to real job growth!!!!